Stocking



JKUGELMAN @MEAN STOCKING Filed July 3, 1953 A; w ltll l [nZJeIZ/Zor' ACK KUGELMAN Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES GFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to hosiery and more particularly to improvements in the design and construction of the foot portion thereof.

One of the most vexing problems confronting the manufacturers and dealers of stockings has been the diiculty of providing stockings which will comfortably and snugly fit the foot of the wearer. The ordinary practice being to manufacture stockings in different standard foot sizes, the usual differential being one-half inch measured from the rear of the heel to the tip of the toe, the fact has long been appreciated that such stockings t more or less snugly only the average foot. If the problem Was one merely of foot length, it would not be so serious because the different sizes of stockings as are now available are based upon differences in the foot lengths. It is hardly necessary, however, to point out that whereas the feet of one individual may be identical in length with those of another individual, there may be vast differences in the girth dimentions of the different individuals feet. The dimension around the instep may be greater in the case of one individual than in the case of another, the width across the toes may be quite different and likewise one individuals heel may be much stouter than anothers. Or an individual may have a relatively narrow toe spread and a wide heel spread or vice versa, yet the length of the foot may be quite average.

Having these considerations in mind, it becomes immediately apparentV that a stocking of a standard foot size, say, for example, size 10, may properly t the foot of an individual having an average size foot, but it would not properly fit the same length foot of an individual who might have an unusually wide toe or heel spread. It is to accommodate these various sizes of feet, that the shoe manufacturers have resorted to themanufacture ofdifferent widths of shoes for each given length thereof. Thus, we have a size 5 shoe with different Widths A, B, C, D etc.

Heretofore and priorto this invention, no effort has been made to provide stockings which are adapted to accommodate properly feet of a given length but of varying girth dimensions and it is accordingly among the principal objects of this invention to accomplish this important result and so solve a problem which has been long existent in the hosiery industry.

The stocking as ordinarily constructed at present is provided with a foot, either full fashioned or seamless, the fabric of which is composed of a series of interlooped courses of more or less tightly knitted loops. These tightly knitted loops renderthe fabric relatively non-extensible both in a course-wise direction as Well as in a wale-A wise direction, this inability to stretch or give being further heightened by the fact that the foot of the stocking is ordinarily reinforced, as

by plaiting, splicing and the like. In such stockings, itis quite apparent that due to this relatively stretchless character of the foot portion thereof the fabric is subjected to abnormal strains and stresses when the lstocking is fitted upon a foot of greater than average girth either in the heel or across the toes. Due also to the 'fact that in a knitted fabric of the character here concerned with, a greater give or stretch is obtainable in the course-wise direction than in the Wale-wise direction, the tendency is for the foot of the stocking to become fore-shortened in consequence of which it naturally binds the foot of.

the wearer at the same time that its durabilityis decreased because of the abnormal stresses Which are thus established in the strained parts of the stocking foot.

These objections and difficulties are overcome most effectively by fabricating the part or parts of the stocking foot which are so subjected to ab normal strain in such manner as to introduce thereincourses'of loosely knit loops, it being Within the concept of the present invention to provide one or more designated parts of the stocking foot with loose courses throughout or with a combination of loosely knit and tightly knit courses.

All of the foregoing will be more apparent from the detailed description of the invention appearing hereinafter, as will other objects and advantages of the present invention.

The invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of the knitted loops of the stocking foot, all as will appear more fully hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a stocking fitted upon the leg of the wearer and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the foot portion of the stocking shown in Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged views of different forms of knitted fabrics of which the designated part or parts of the stocking foot may be fabricated; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the foot portion of a stocking showing a furthermodication of the foot shown in Figure l.

Referring no-w to the drawing and more particularly to Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, wherein are shown on an enlarged scale different forms of the knitted fabric such as are adapted to be selectively employed in one or more parts of the stocking foot, it will be observed that each of these fabrics is characterized by the provision of one or more courses of loosely knitted loops, the manner of producing the same being well known .in the knitted hosiery art.

In Figure 3 the fabric is composed entirely of loosely knitted loops a, the several courses b thereof being interlooped in the usual manner.

In the fabric of Figure 4 the fabric is composed alternately of single courses of loosely knitted and tightly knitted loops, the loose courses being designated c and the tight courses being designatedv d.

In the fabric of Figure 5 a'plurality of interlooped courses e of tight loops are arranged alternately with respect to a single course f -of loose loops, it being observed that in this arrangement the single courses of loose loops are spaced apart by the intervening plural number of tight courses In Figurs 6 the fabric is substantially thereverse of that shown in Figure 5 in that a single course g of tight loops intervenes each set of interlooped loose courses h.

Inasmuch as the fabrics just described are adapted to be employed in the fabrication of those parts of the stocking foot which receive the greatest wear, as in thel heel, sole and/or toe, the fabric may be reinforced as by employing a heavier or stronger yarn, or by employing simultaneously two or more threads to form the courses or by any other expedient well known in the art. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the ratio of loose courses to tight courses and their relative relation may be changed as desired, depending upon the degree of elasticity desired in the particular part of the stocking foot in which the present invention is embodied.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 it will be observed that in the stocking therein shown the invention has been' incorporated in the heel I0 of -the stocking as well as in the toe Il thereof, it being understood, of course, that the invention may be embodied in the heel alone or in the toe alone, as desired. In addition, the invention may be confined entirely Within the sole I2 ofv the stocking as shown in Figure '7, the heel I0 and the toe Il being composed of plain tight knit loops of reinforced yarn. It Will lbe understood of course that in producing the stocking of the present invention, the

foot thereof is fabricated upon the same machine and in substantially the same manner as are the ordinary stockings, theonly departure from the normal operation being that as the knitting of the fabric progresses toward the parts of the foot which require elasticity the character of the knitted loops is changed to provide the allover loose course fabric of Figure 3 or the'combined tight and loose course fabrics of Figures 4,

5 or 6 or any desired modification thereof.

Not only is a stocking having a foot fabricated in the manner just described much more comfortable to the wearer than the ordinary stocking, but it is also rendered far more durable due to the fact that abnormal strains in the toe, sole and/or heel thereof are substantially eliminated. In appearance,- also, the stocking foot so fabri` cated is an improvement over the ordinary structure inasmuch as the presence of the loose cours- Y es when evenly' distributed throughout the heel,

-sole and/or toe of the stocking imparts to these portions of the stocking a soft appearance which is highly desirable. Y

tight knit reinforced toe fabric, a plain tight knit reinforced heel fabric, and a reinforced sole fabric consisting of alternating plain tight knit courses and loose knit courses providing greater stretch therein for accommodating increased relative displacement of the toe fabric and the heel fabric for increasing and decreasing the length of the foot section.

2. A knitted stocking having a plain tight knit leg fabric, a plain tight knit instep fabric, .a reinforced plain tight knit toe fabric, a reinforced plain tight knit heel fabric, and a reinforced sole fabric, said sole fabric consisting throughout its entire area of alternating tight loop courses and loose loop courses, 'said tight loop courses having greater elasticity than the loose loop courses and. said loose loop courses having greater stretch than the tight loop courses whereby the sole fabric will have greater stretch than is characteristic of a', plain knit sole fabric.

3. A stocking of the character described having a foot section consistingl of a plain tight-knit instep fabric, and reinforced sole, toe and heel portions, said sole portion being plain tight-knit and said toe and heel portions being knitted of interlooped courses of loose and tight loops, the courses of loose loops being arranged singly and fin intervening relation between courses of said section being knitted of a plurality of interlooped courses of tight and loose loops whereby to provide in said heel and toe portions an increased degree of stretch or give to accommodate the stocking foot to feet of'different sizesthe said courses of loose loops being uniformly distributed throughout the entire extents of said heel and toe portions and being separated from each other by at least one course of tightly knitted loops.

' 5. A knitted stocking having a foot section consisting of a non-reinforced plain tight-knit instep fabric, and reinforced toe, sole and heel fabrics, at least one of said reinforced fabrics being fabricated throughout exclusively of plain tight and plain loose knitcourses, While the reinforced fabric immediately adjoining it is fabricated entirely of plaintight knit courses,'said 'tight loop Acourses having greater elasticity than the loose by greater stretch is imparted to the first-mentioned of said immediately adjoining fabrics than to the last-mentioned thereof.

JACK KUGELMAN. I 

